Earlier this year, we reported that the former Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert’s husband Timothy Busfield had been arrested after being accused of sexually abusing two 11 year-old twin boys. Now, Gilbert is speaking out to defend Busfield in an emotional new interview.
Gilbert Defends Busfield
Gilbert, 61, sat down with Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos in an interview that is set to air on Monday, April 6.
A representative for Gilbert told People Magazine that the actress and Busfield’s lawyer Larry Stein, wanted to talk to Stephanopoulos because she “decided it was time to sit down to clarify the facts of the case, which seem to have become lost to distraction, selective information and click bait.”
In a preview of the interview, Stephanopoulos asked, “What has this whole episode been like for you?”
“Hell,” Gilbert replied. “This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives.”
“Our life as we knew it is done,” she continued. “We are grieving what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects. For Tim, it’s done. He’s canceled. Even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy. [He’s] the last person in the world who would hurt a child. And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he’d have a lot more to worry about than prison.”
Busfield’s Arrest
On January 9, the Albuquerque Police Department issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest. In it, Busfield was accused of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old boys. Busfield surrendered to police on January 13. He then spent a week in jail before being released by a judge on January 20.
Before Busfield’s release, Gilbert wrote a letter to his judge. Indeed, she described Busfield as being “my love, my rock, my partner in business and life.” She added that she knows him “better and more intimately than anything in his life ever has.”
“I only want this extraordinary man safe and whole. So, I will close by asking you to please, please, take care of my sweet husband,” she wrote. “As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart. I am relying on your to protect him for me.”
Busfield’s Upcoming Trial
Busfield’s trial is scheduled to begin in May of 2027. After he was indicted, his attorney Stanton “Larry” Stein said, “The indictment was not unexpected.”
“What is deeply concerning is that the District Attorney is choosing to proceed on a case that is fundamentally unsound and cannot be proven at trial,” Stein argued. “The detention hearing exposed fatal weaknesses in the State’s evidence — gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure. This prosecution appears driven by something other than the facts or the law.”
“Mr. Busfield will fight these charges at every stage and looks forward to testing the State’s case in open court — where evidence matters — not behind closed doors,” Stein concluded.
Gilbert and Busfield have been married since 2013. For now, it certainly seems like she’ll be standing by him for the forseeable future. Only time will tell how this turns out for Gilbert and Busfield.